SYSTEM- Gigalomaniac
by Kyaanon
Summary: A Level 6 has emerged, one that no one knows but whose powers will affect all of the City. Index, Railgun, C;H and OC characters. First fanfic, so please review! :D Also, correct me on any factual errors if I'm wrong, both in terms of canon or science in general.
1. Prologue

The chamber stretched into the distance. It was filled with large, clear capsules laid down side-by-side next to each other. A dim glow lit the entire scene as the machines hummed gently on standby, ready to be called to full activity when the right command was entered.

The doors slid open with a pneumatic hiss, allowing a single man to enter. He was perhaps in his 70s and balding. Despite this, he moved quickly, his limbs filled with energy and his eyes filled with manic purpose. He opened a console on the wall and allowed the system to verify his identity. The dim glow began to grow brighter and brighter until each corner of the chamber was visible from the man's position. He turned and gestured at the entrance.

Two rows of white-coat-clad men and women began to enter. They escorted a series of wheeled beds upon which a number of small children appeared to be asleep. Upon entering the chamber, each scientist took one of the beds and wheeled it over to a capsule. They attempted to wake the children, shaking them carelessly. The children began to stir and two of the scientists, grimacing impatiently, reached into their coats to grab hold of a small device. They held it to the children's skin and administered a shock, quickly bringing them to full wakefulness.

Meanwhile, the man walked to a set of stairs positioned at the far end of the chamber. He climbed them, opened a door, and entered a smaller room lined with computers. The walls were made of glass, allowing him to look down into the chamber, a view he exploited immediately.

The man's name was Kihara Gensei. He had disappeared from public scrutiny months ago in favor pursuing his interests in the dark side of Academy City. His position and intelligence made him a powerful piece in the constant schemes of the Board of Directors, a piece that the Board could not afford to lose, and thus, secretly funded to ensure his loyalty.

He watched as his scientists loaded the children into the capsules, waiting until the capsules were sealed before pressing a button on the console. A brief burst of feedback erupted as the speakers in the facility came on. Slowly, measuring his words, he began to speak.

"Regardless of the outcome, this experiment has been completed successfully. The Board has already placed a gag order on all information concerning that is gathered today. It will only be accessible to the Board and any scientists on this project. Our only goal is to capture data."

The scientists nodded in understanding. A few looked at the children in the capsules, deaf to what had just been said in their soundproof capsules, before looking up at Kihara's figure once more. His hands were moving quickly over the keyboard, activating the programs that would begin the experiment.

The machines' hum grew to be louder and louder and the children closed their eyes anxiously, save one. She looked expressionlessly at the machinery above her, accepting the bubble of fear and nervousness that rapidly expanded within her as a mosquito needle dipped towards her forehead.

A harsh noise sounded from one of the machines and the scientist quickly turned his attention to it. A drop of sweat grew on her forehead as she made adjustments. As she typed, the noise continued to sound before finally coming to a stop when she entered a last command.

There were no more interruptions. The machines continued to hum as the children sank back into unconsciousness. Kihara continued to watch, waiting for reaction to make itself seen.

A loud thump sounded against one of the capsules. A child had flung her hand out, punching the glass. Another thump sounded. A Klaxon-like sound began, growing louder and louder until the thumps against the glass could not be heard. The scientist grew pale and feverishly looked over the readout from the machine. His head snapped up. "Kihara-sensei!" The other capsules began to sound alarms as well as the children thrashed about inside their glass prisons, eyebrows creased and mouths open in silent screams that none of the scientists could hear.

Kihara glanced at the console, calmly looking over the data. He pressed the intercom button once again. "Do not interfere."

The scientists looked strained. One of them spoke. "But…" One of his fellows clamped a hand over his mouth and hissed into his ear. The man trembled, pushed the other scientist away and slowly closed his mouth. He turned back to the capsule.

The light from the capsules flickered off, one by one and the glass cages opened once the children's' thrashing had stopped. Kihara took a phone from his pocket and dialed a number, speaking only for a few seconds before hanging up. He opened the door and walked back down the stairs before shouting, "Clean-up will be here in a few minutes. Let's go."

The scientists silently followed Kihara out. As the last scientist left, a man clad in a white, airtight suit walked in, followed by two of his fellows. They moved slowly down the rows of capsules, picking up each body and placing it inside a container to be disposed of.

The sixth body they reached began to move when they touched it. One of the men jumped and all three of them backed away before forming a huddle and discussing what to do in quick, hushed voices.

The girl in the capsule opened her eyes and looked around, grimacing at the pain. She touched her head and hissed in pain as the wound flared up. She looked at the red skin of her hand and stood up from the capsule. She looked at the white-clad men and narrowed her eyes in hatred. She reached out to the roof.

The three men had decided. This was a failed experiment, with all subjects determined to be dead. They would carry out their duties as such. As one, they turned back to the body, ready to reach out and place it with the rest of the corpses.

A sick squelching sound rang out. One body fell to the ground, its head landing several feet behind it. A torso hit the ground, followed by a lower body. And finally, four separate thumps sounded as first one arm then another fell to the ground, followed by yet another head, and finally, the rest of the body.

The anger in the girl's eyes faded back into apathy. She clutched an invisible object in both hands and hugged it to her body before finally staggering outside.


	2. Chapter 1

** For the sake of clarity, I'll be referring to each character by their first names (except Uiharu since it's impossible for me to think of her as anyone but Uiharu). I'm setting this right before World War Three.**

"They're late!"

Saten Ruiko stirred her drink faster and faster, creating a small whirlpool in the center before lifting up the glass to take a sip before growing frustrated and draining the whole glass.

Uiharu Kazari sat across from her and looked up from her laptop amicably. "Now, now, Saten-san. It's barely been five minutes."

Ruiko sighed. The day was too nice to waste inside. She got up and refilled her drink, holding it tightly in her hands to allow the heat of her skin to seep into the cold glass.

A tinkling sound heralded the door's opening. Ruiko turned around eagerly and waved her hand in the air. The two girls who had just entered caught site of her and quickly joined the two at their table.

Uiharu pushed her laptop away. "Good afternoon, Misaka-san, Shirai-san."

The two girls who had just entered wore matching uniforms. A few beads of sweat were testament to the heat of the day. Kuroko seemed a little blackened and Mikoto's hair sparked every few seconds. Uiharu and Ruiko shared a knowing look and sighed in exasperation as the newcomers sat down next to them.

"Hello, you two! Sorry for being late." Mikoto smiled happily while Kuroko muttered under her breath about differences in treatment.

"What happened?" Ruiko asked. "We were a little worried. Normally you two arrive here earlier."

The sparks in Mikoto's hair started up again and her eyebrows came down. "Kuroko."

Ruiko and Uiharu nodded in understanding. Kuroko shed a tear. "Onee-sama, I only seek for us to become closer, to deepen our relationship."  
"And that deepening is what creeps me out!"

Ruiko laughed. "You should be used to it, Misaka-san. But anyhow, where do you want to go? I think going swimming would be best, considering the weather."

Kuroko quickly sat up. "The pool! Definitely the pool! To see onee-sama—" Her eyes were alight as she considered Mikoto. She jerked as an electric shock hit her.

"Denied."

"Whaaaaaaat." Ruiko pouted. "But it's so hotttttt."

"Well…" Uiharu considered. "I don't…have an opinion." She laughed a little.

Mikoto received a drink from a waiter's hand and began twirling it. "Honestly, It's too hot to go outside, even if the weather is nice. I think I'd just like to…talk."

Ruiko smiled. "I'm fine with that. In that case…" She pulled Uiharu's laptop over to herself. "Have you heard about the new urban legend? A Level 6 has appeared!"

Mikoto froze. "Who? Number One?"

Ruiko shook her head. "That person's not from the seven. Apparently, whoever it is was the product of an experiment by Academy City."

Uiharu spoke up. "How do they know? More than likely, it's probably just some silly rumor. No one even knows what a Level 6 looks like."

"Precisely. It's probably just some rumor to terrorize Skill Out. After Number One was beaten by that unknown Level 0, they created a Level 6 to show that there's still someone stronger."

Ruiko scrolled down and then turned the laptop around so that the others could see the screen. "They say that the power a Level 5 holds is the strongest any esper can become. Instead of becoming more powerful, they broaden their Personal Reality to manipulate more phenomena." A video of lightning, fire and water all appearing to destroy a building played. Several images showed complex wave patterns. Finally, another image showed a massive field of particles, all originating from the same area.

Kuroko pointed at the last image. "What's that?" She squinted to read the text.

Mikoto was closer and read it out loud. "A picture of the AIM dispersion field taken at the scene. The image was produced through sensitive instruments brought by researchers studying at a nearby laboratory. This seems rather…legitimate, actually."

As Ruiko scrolled down, more images appeared. Mikoto froze upon seeing a certain person. "What's he doing here?!"

"They're comparing the AIM dispersion field seen to the one produced by Number One," Ruiko answered.

The field seen at the building was far larger than the one that appeared around Accelerator when he was fully using his powers during System Scan. But at the same time, it was far less organized, showing none of the order that the field around Accelerator displayed.

"So? What do you think?" Ruiko asked.

The table was silent as they all considered the idea of a Level 6 finally being brought into existence. Finally, Mikoto voiced their shared thoughts absent-mindedly:

"It's…unimaginable."

Level 6 meant a human that surpassed humanity itself. Any being that attained it could no longer be considered human. He or she had ascended to the level of God which by definition could not be quantified. Regardless of how powerful espers were, they were not invincible. The right combination of circumstances, chance, and people could overwhelm even the strongest among them, as that idiot had proven.

Ruiko's excited grin faltered as she saw each person recede into their own thoughts, trying to imagine just what this meant for Academy City.

There was a loud bang as Mikoto stood up. "Forget it! Let's go swimming!"

The pensive mood disappeared as all the girls let loose cheers.

Sakisaka Nagi examined her hands.

A week had passed since she'd killed the men and escaped from the laboratory and nothing made any sense.

Her powers were out of control. Every calculation she made was off, and whenever she forced the world to conform to her Personal Reality despite the inaccuracy, disaster struck.

She shuddered as she remembered the building that her powers had destroyed 3 days ago before regaining her calm. She'd come close to dying then and had only barely escaped the havoc she'd wreaked.

But she had to gain control of these abilities. If she was going to find and kill the scientists that had taken part in the project, she needed more than just some sword to kill them. She needed control over technology and reality sufficient enough to find them and keep them from using conventional weaponry long enough to kill them.

She hunched over as pain cleaved through her head. Her skull was being split open, the blade was entering her brain. She screamed and kept screaming as the minutes and hours passed, screamed until her vocal cords gave out and the air in her lungs was all gone until she was left a wreck of a body, struggling to draw in even a single breath. There was no room for thought, nothing but the pain and the knowledge that she could not escape.

And then, just as suddenly as the pain had started, it stopped. The writhing feeling in her skull settled and the world around her settled into focus.

The tears finally came.

When had her world been destroyed? Was it when her parents had abandoned her to the City? Was it when she had received news that they had died without ever coming to take her away? Was it the attack 3 years ago? Or was it this last experiment when all the laws and rules of the world began to break down around her? The self-pity grew and faded as anger swept in to replace it.

Kihara Gensei.

She knew the name of the person who had destroyed her world, even if she couldn't find him. Those five syllables were all that she could use to carry out her revenge.

Nagi took in a deep breath and stood, wincing as air flowed over her destroyed vocal cords. She looked around. Where was it? The one item that brought her any sense of comfort was nowhere to be seen. She reached out into thin air and clenched her fist around an object, feeling the fabric of reality tear as she did so.

Her sword. It looked like something out of those anime the boys at the Child Error facility had loved watching with its sense of violent purpose and elegant curves and lines that added beauty into the mix. It was long, tall, and broad, almost as tall as she herself was, but it bore no weight. It was neither hot nor cold, neither solid nor liquid, nor even gas. It was simply there, a folding of reality that existed only for her to take and hold. She sighed as a sense of ease washed over her.

She embraced the blade without fear. It wouldn't cut her. After all, it was the embodiment of her self, her deepest wish and savior given form by the universe. She settled down and curled up behind a number of steel containers until the sword erased all the pain and eased her to sleep.

"Yo Kami-yan!"

The blonde teenager stood in front of a put-out looking high-school student with spiky black hair. The black-haired boy, who was obviously Kamijou Touma, stood panting heavily. His eyebrows were twitching in annoyance.

"You told me this was an emergency! You said the magic side was invading! What the hell are you doing just standing there casually?!"

"Come on, Kami-yan. You gotta take life as it goes. You can't just speed everywhere without enjoying every moment of it."

"You idiot, Tsuchimikado! I left Index at home to go shopping for ingredients when I got your call! When I get back…" He moaned, already fearing the consequences of his lateness. "Such misfortune!"

"Ahhhhh. In that case, we might as well delay the inevitable punishment, hm? Stand beside me, Kami-yan."

Touma held up a clenched fist, twitching as if he was severely restraining himself at the moment. "Tell. Me. What. This. Is. About."

"I did just tell you not to be impatient, didn't I? You should take your friends' advice. Still…" His tone changed and one hand moved slowly upward to remove his sunglasses. "We do have a problem."

Touma exhaled forcefully. "So at least coming here wasn't a complete waste. What's happened?"

"Level 6 has been achieved."

Touma took a step back in shock, his eyes widening. "What? Level 6…? What do you…who?"

"We're not quite sure of the details yet. No one knows who it is. The one thing we do know is that it's not any of the seven level 5s. Not Accelerator, Dark Matter, or even the mysterious number 6 and the one of which we have no understanding of at all, Attack Crash. Someone bypassed Level 5 entirely and reached Level 6. Their Personal Reality and AIM dispersion fields grew enormously in power."

"How do we know?"

Tsuchimikado smirked. "You need to keep in touch with the rumors, Kami-yan. It's all over the net. But as to how we know…one of Academy City's satellites recorded an enormous AIM dispersion field that easily dwarfed Accelerator at his strongest. The phenomenon rewriting ability displayed was simply tremendous, to the point that even a Level 5 couldn't interfere with it. Whoever it is rewrote massive chunks of reality. We even got measurements on the ground, but by the time Anti-Skill had secured the area and began to investigate, the person was gone."

Touma sighed. He remembered taking on Number One. That power, the control over vectors, had been scary enough, a battle that he'd barely won. And now, there was a Level 6? Someone who was supposed to be on the same level as God? It was a battle he'd rather avoid. As long as no one was being hurt. "What do you want me to do?"

"It's not the Level 6 that's the problem here. It's the magic side's response to it. They're concerned over the imbalance if Aleister gains control over the Level 6. They want to strike, erasing the Level 6 before he or she gains full control of their powers. The science side will be mobilized against them. We're on the brink of World War Three and preparations need to be made. You don't need to do anything yet; we should have some warning before the attack comes. You just need to be ready."

Touma responded with two words. Tsuchimikado grinned.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – Minds and Murmurs**

_Nishijou Takumi._

_The name still reminds me of Shogun, but that past has, for the most part, been placed behind me. The others and I still meet occasionally, but the events of Noah II and the scars left by NOZOMI and Genichi Norose have faded into the past._

_Life moves on._

_Rimi and I talk on the phone often, but we haven't seen each other in weeks since she continued her studies overseas. Nanami checks up on me every other day to my annoyance, but the bracelet on her hand reminds me to treasure her._

_Each of us has gone our separate path, but it's a parting without sorrow. The past, despite all the pain and hurt it contains, and it still binds us together with invisible cords that will never fade. The end of Ir2 meant redemption and rebirth, a new beginning, a new life to shape the way we see fit. The vengeance that dominated the past has faded._

_Of course, the name Nishijou Takumi is still famous. I made quite an impression with those two public appearances. Although my name was cleared of the New Gen murders and my second appearance redeemed me in the eyes of society after the scorn the first one brought upon me, it was still uncomfortable whenever my name was recognized. My otaku past still caused others to look upon me with disgust and pity._

_And thus, I changed my name. I dyed my hair. I let time morph my physique until only the barest hints of Nishijou Takumi were still visible. I let Rimi drag me into society and found myself able to cope with it. I had become Iwasaki Mikuni._

_Of course, Rimi would never let me forget. She and all the other gigalomaniacs still refer to me as Takumi or Taku. But I present an entirely new face to the world, one without the stigma that New Gen left behind._

_Hacking into government records helped quite a bit._

_Going to Academy City had been an afterthought. The founding of a city completely devoted to science and research seemed like a wondrous idea until Rimi forcefully reminded me just what science had already done to us and could do to the world in the future. I think the mark's still there._

_But at any rate, I was simply here to monitor the research being conducted. Ironically enough, I, with my 50% attendance rate, would be teaching in a school. The thought itself makes me laugh and my laugh still sounds just as idiotic._

_I'm loath to leave this city though. Shibuya has been my entire life up to this point and leaving it behind means severing almost every link to my past, however twisted it may be. This is indeed goodbye to Shibuya._

_-The Diary of Nishijou Takumi, 8/10, two years ago_

_~21 months before the present~_

"Good morning. I'll be replacing Tsukino-sensei as your new homeroom teacher."

The class looked reasonably diligent with the exception of a few rebellious looking delinquents in the back. The girls looked a little disappointed with his appearance while the boys were making expressions of disgust at their misfortune.

Mikuni sighed inwardly. Teaching was bound to be a pain regardless of how you looked at it. Middle school was arguably the best group to teach, with the malleability of youth mixing with the developing independence of adolescence.

The only saving grace of this job was that it would be teaching programming and gaming. Zassou Academy had been established specifically for that purpose, and Mikuni's otaku past combined with his degree in computational mathematics had prepared him amply.

Or so he hoped.

Thank god for Rimi and the others. If they hadn't made his life a living hell by trying to get him into normal society, there was no way he could've dealt with this.

The day went relatively well. He barely had a clue about any of his students' names and spent most of the time getting caught up with what they had covered so far, but he didn't think he looked too clueless or tense. He thought some of his students might even have begun to like him. Once school ended, his students bid him goodbye and left him filling out paperwork documenting his entry into the school and his impressions of the class from his first day here.

Despite being a quarter of a century ahead of the rest of the world in terms of technology, the rest of life had changed very little. For instance, the tedious, slow process of filling out official paperwork still took hours and hours on end. Consequently, it was near 8 o'clock before he finally left the building. He sighed, resigned to the knowledge that now that he'd begun work, there was no way he'd be able to watch his anime the moment it aired. He was going to miss the initial reactions on chan. His cell phone buzzed: a message from Rimi.

_"You're not watching anime before checking the city, are you?"_

Mikuni shivered. The days of "Whose eyes are those eyes?" had passed, but sometimes he swore that Rimi had simply replaced Takumi in watching over him.

He tapped out a quick denial before joining the crowd on the streets. He steeled himself and submerged himself in his powers.

He let loose a breath, harsh and rattling. No matter how many times he dived into the emotions of the people around him, he could never get used to the torrent of emotions that swirled around him. He couldn't understand how Kozue-chan had lived for months like this. It was all he could do to submerge himself for a few minutes without throwing up.

Like a man who had aged decades in the space of a few minutes, Mikuni slowly began to walk the streets, dragging his feet like a zombie as he monitored the emotions around him. Anger, bitterness, hopelessness, resentment, jealousy, envy, rage, and fear flowed into him. But it was bearable; unlike during the Third Melt, positive emotions existed as well, tempering the negative ones.

When he could bear it no longer, he loosened his powers and collapsed on a bench. He lay there for a few minutes, occasionally taking a swig of water. He rested, analyzing and considering the sounds and sights he had seen while observing the emotions of the crowds. When he felt strong enough, the ordeal was repeated again. Again. Again. Again.

Finally, he stopped. Academy City was an extraordinary place, but for now, there was little that was truly unexpected. These were normal emotions, manipulated and twisted by the system, but normal nevertheless. The fact that such powers existed and their somewhat arbitrary acquirement by certain members of the populace had clearly made negative emotions much stronger and more prevalent, as Mikuni had expected. There was no hint of anything more sinister going on. Everything was performing within his expectations.

This city had been shrouded in mystery since its very inception and Mikuni had no clue who was truly controlling it, but he was content to let sleeping beasts lie until a concrete reason for suspicion arose. He would continue to monitor the city, searching for the dark side that undoubtedly existed. He would intervene in anything that threatened large-scale harm, but otherwise, the city would be left to itself.

Mikuni yawned and began the long walk home. He had anime to watch.

_Present day_

Nagi woke with a start.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept peacefully. Waking up and going to sleep had always been going from one nightmare to another. The only difference was in the nature of the horrors.

She kept her eyes closed as she continued to rest on the cold metal, aware of her surroundings only through her other senses. The normal people were going to school, their loud, happy chatter grating against the emptiness she felt. Cars sped past with their characteristic _whoosh_. She heard the occasional crash as students bought drinks from the vending machine nearby.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

The interior of the warehouse was dark, hardly better than night. The only light was the sliver radiating out from the slightly ajar opening. She stood, bracing herself against the light-headedness that came from the sudden motion and recovered as blood made its way to her brain.

It was another day of searching and struggling: struggling to force her power into submission and searching for the one to blame for everything.

Nagi climbed the stairs to the roof of the warehouse and jumped to the next building, a hotel, climbing down slowly until she reached a window. She fiddled with the lock and finally, slid it open, swinging into the room silently. The occupants of this room were parents visiting their children. They rarely spent any time in their rooms, preferring instead to tour the city. Based on the letters they had left out, they would be staying for the rest of the week. Nagi showered and changed quickly before scampering back outside.

The constant rebellion of Skill Out had created two separate regions in Academy City, with a neutral zone serving as the boundary between the civilized, Anti-Skill mediated side of Academy City and the derelict, graffiti-covered buildings that fell under the jurisdiction of Skill Out. The zones shifted during Anti-Skill crackdowns, but Skill Out reclaimed lost areas mere days after Anti-Skill had left. Anti-Skill just didn't have the resources or the motivation to maintain control, a fact that Skill Out gleefully exploited.

The neutral zone provided an ideal area for Nagi to work on mastering her abilities. She was hardly afraid of Skill Out; her sword could easily put an end to any their annoyances. All she sought was privacy and the disputed territory between the two regions proved well-suited to her needs.

The course of weeks of experimentation had hardly yielded any results. Her powers still ran amok whenever she attempted to tap into them, wreaking destruction on her surroundings. She'd gradually lessened the scale of the damage, but her control was constantly on edge, constantly being tested. She didn't dare lose patience though, for fear of actually causing deaths.

Nagi let out a carefully controlled breath and focused on levitating herself, wincing as the building shook under the force of an impact. She wasn't quite sure how that had happened.

Perhaps the only power she could capably use was telepathy, most likely because she'd been a Level 2 Sender. She hadn't been able to communicate, but at least she'd been able to send some messages.

Since the experiment, that had changed. If she attempted to, she could listen in on nearly anyone's thoughts.

Once, as a joke, she'd repeatedly sent the words "_I'm watching you_" to an excitable looking teacher and had watched as she panicked more and more finally running away almost in tears of anxiety.

Perhaps it had been a little mean, but it certainly broke the monotony and loneliness. She hoped the teacher was alright now.

Regardless, mental abilities and communication was about all she could manage, and without anyone she could actually communicate with, there was very little she could actually do.

The images of her AIM Field that she'd found online, coupled with the analysis of experts, had proven most informative though. Apparently, she could overrule a Level 3 completely. The other children at the Child Error facility had talked about an ability capable of negating all other abilities. It appeared she could now do the same…somewhat.

Nagi continued brute-forcing her powers in an attempt to produce some semblance of order, but it wasn't working all too well. It was incredibly frustrating. When she'd first developed her telepathy, usage had come naturally, completely unlike they were now. Where before she simply knew, now she had to experiment, and her experiments weren't working very well.

Two weeks of effort had gotten her absolutely nowhere. No progress whatsoever. It was ridiculous. She hadn't even managed to broaden her telepathic abilities into new forms despite the fact that she was definitely more powerful now than she had been before. Espers relied on calculations, but now, even when she ran all the calculations and variables through, something still went wrong. It was as though she wasn't an esper anymore, as if she was something that worked in a completely different manner to produce a similar outcome.

What she needed was someone to mimic, someone to guide her on the path to fully using her powers.

She swore. It all came back to Kihara. He was the reason she was in this mess, why all the other Child Errors were now dead. And since they were dead, there was absolutely no one in the world she could turn to now for help.

The air around her right arm shimmered, as though her sword was reacting to her anger and was reminding her that it was still there.

She'd considered before that the sword might hold the answers she sought, but it had been impossible for her to figure out anything about it. It was absolutely perfect in every respect and remained undamaged despite the abuse she'd put it through when testing out its ability to cut. Its ability to phase in and out of existence was another mystery. It had appeared to her when her powers had gone out of control, but apart from that, its existence only added to the puzzles before her.

And so she sought out the library. Certain schools had libraries and computers that could be accessed by anyone, regardless of whether or not they actually attended the school.

She returned to the warehouse and donned a light gray hoodie to cover her face before picking a campus at random to walk into. The librarian looked at her a little strangely when she entered, but asked no questions.

She started off simple. _Sword that can cut anything_. An encyclopaedia article showed up, but it had to do with mythology.

_Supernatural sword appears out of nowhere_. That was even worse. Now there were articles about mythologies from all over the world. She read a rather depraved plot summary of a show she was sure she shouldn't be watching before pressing BACK in disgust. Adults had the weirdest tastes.

She continued in that vein for some time until she finally found something that worked. _ESP sword teenager_. It brought up something called 'New Gen.'

These events had taken place years ago, back when her parents had still been there to shield her from everything. She was inclined to skip over it (Those pictures! Eurgh. What sort of freak would do that sort of thing?!) until she reached the end of article, under the heading _Conclusion_.

"Nishijou Takumi's (for further reference, see esper, otaku) first involvement in the incidents was when he claimed to be an esper who would reveal the criminal, although he appears to have suffered a psychological breakdown. Through unknown means, he later revealed the role of one of the perpetrators of the New Gen incidents (see Hazuki Shino). Several witnesses claim to have seen him gripping an incredibly large sword which he used to attack the aforesaid nurse and her associates. No one is certain as to the veracity of these claims, especially since the sword was not seen earlier. He later disappeared from the public eye. Studies have been undertaken…"

Nagi stopped reading, buoyed by a growing wave of excitement. This was it. If she could just find out who this Nishijou Takumi was, she was certain she could identify what was wrong with her powers and fix it. She began tapping at the keyboard furiously. Even if he had disappeared from the public eye, he had to have left traces on the Internet.

But within minutes, it became abundantly clear.

Nishijou Takumi had vanished from the face of the planet.

The process of hiring a hacker was relatively simple. The steps involved were more difficult.

Step 1: Identify potential candidates.

Academy City had lists of everything, be it most annoying hairstyle seen to largest universities. Some were meant for fun, others meant for work, and work meant a rather…wide spread of businesses, ranging from the incredibly shady to the most legitimate.

Hiring a hacker was pretty sketchy, but there was still a list of the best hackers in the city. It seemed that no matter how technologically advanced a city got, the Internet was still impossible to control.

These hackers went by certain names in certain circles, but the entry of one into any particular conversation meant immediate worship from all the other people browsing the board. From "Lighting-fast Neidhardt has descended!" at the top of the list to number 10's trademark "Ragnarok approaches; g0tt3rd4mm3rung has come," every hacker had their own specific phrase. Finding and communicating with one was merely a matter of being patient enough.

Nagi had ample time. Although experimenting with her powers was her priority right now, if she managed to find this Nishijou Takumi, then learning how to control her powers would become much, much easier.

At least, that was the theory. Hopefully it would work out alright.

Step 2: Actually talk to the damn person.

…It was actually hard.

Nagi wasn't a freaking social butterfly. She was 11 for goodness' sake. How was she supposed to just randomly PM someone? It was so abrupt and random and more than likely, they'd just shut her down.

It had actually turned out to be much easier than that. From what she'd seen on the boards online, PrimaVera1 was the cheapest hacker and still got guaranteed results. Despite their rather shady line of work, they had a good reputation for carrying out transactions quickly and fairly. Though she wasn't all that alarming by herself, apparently she was escorted by a "teleporter that could destroy your body and soul."

It should be manageable. It's not like Nagi meant to double-cross whoever it was.

Step 3: If you're going to HIRE someone, you need MONEY.

This might have been difficult before, but with her sword, this would be remarkably easy. PrimaVera has asked for 5,000 yen, which the internet assured her was a little under the standard amount for a job such as this.

It was ridiculous to think of getting a job. No one was going to hire anyone this young and who looked that much like a street brat.

She certainly wasn't going to rob anything. She'd get schooled by Judgment.

And so she resorted to breaking into hotels and dorms in search of cash. It didn't take long. The marks left by the sword might've looked a little odd, but it wasn't like they could trace it to her.

Step 4: Meet with them.

Nagi was more than a little averse to this step, but there was very little she could do about it. PrimaVera required at least one face-to-face meeting to be told the purpose of this

And thus, she found herself in an abandoned building in the middle of the afternoon. The schools had let out about 2 hours ago, but there were still plenty of people still on the streets. This particular section of town was relatively abandoned though. Skill-Out had been flushed out of this area a few weeks ago and had yet to make a comeback. It was possible they'd just given it up, since this area was on the schedule to be demolished and renovated.

She was hidden behind a number of old boxes, waiting. She wanted to get a look at the hacker first before revealing herself. She doubted there would be any real danger. These were children after all, since no adults possessed abilities. If they turned out to be true threats, her sword was always close at hand.

She waited patiently, careful not to move or make noise. The room was quiet but for a few rats scurrying away in the corners. There were traces of scuffles taking place here in the past based on the scratched and discolored walls, but this building had been vacant for months. Dust lay thick on the floor in a single, undisturbed layer.

Finally, she heard footsteps. A girl only a few years older than her strode in, sending puffs of dust up with each impact. She had a wreath of flowers woven through her short black hair. A pink-haired girl with twin ponytails followed after her.

"So where is this client of yours?"

The black-haired girl sighed. "You're so impatient when it comes to Misaka-san. Whoever it is should be here soon. Be ready."

Both wore the green armbands of Judgment and the pink-haired girl wore the uniform of Tokiwadai Middle School.

Nagi's tensed-up body relaxed a degree. These were middle-schoolers. There was no way they were going to kidnap her or anything. It would be fine. She brushed against the money in her jacket, tweaked the hood up to hide her face, and emerged from behind the boxes.

When Nagi came into sight, the two girls clammed up. The pink-haired girl ran her eyes up and down Nagi's figure and murmured something in her companion's ear. The black-haired girl nodded silently.

Nagi came to a stop around 10 feet away from the two. "You are PrimaVera?"

The black-haired girl nodded. "Do you have the money?"

Nagi reached into her jacket and pulled out a wad of bills. She tossed it and watched as the pink-haired girl caught it and flipped through it briefly, making sure it was the full amount. She nodded to her partner.

"That seems to be fine. What information do you desire?"

Nagi hesitated and then forged ahead. "I want information on a particular person. I want to know every aspect of this person's life from when they were born. I want profiles on all his friends and family."

The black-haired girl seemed to be weighing her words. "That's hardly safeguarded information. Why do you need me?"

"Documentation of him stopped a number of years ago."

She nodded. "The name?"

"…Nishijou Takumi. Written with these kanji." She traced the letters into the dust on the ground.

The black-haired girl seemed surprised for an instant. "The one related to New Gen?"

Nagi nodded.

"I will have all the information you seek in two days. Could we meet here again?"

Nagi nodded once again and then turned away, walking towards the door. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you."

Uiharu frowned at her laptop screen.

Nishijou Takumi was proving to be a bit mysterious. Gathering information about him was quite simple, but the information she was finding was more than a little disturbing.

Nishijou Takumi was the root of everything but the connections that branched out led to even stranger things.

Aoi Sena, Orihara Kozue, Kusunoki Yua, and Kishimoto Ayase all appeared to have had horrible pasts filled with death, crime, and horror. She hadn't gone through his supposed girlfriend Sakihata Rimi yet, but based on the 4 she'd already seen…

His family was a little odd as well. His mother and father were nothing out of the ordinary, but apparently he had a debilitating disease that had stuck him in the hospital for years on end. There was no record of discharge. And yet, somehow, he managed to live a perfectly healthy high school life?

It was too strange. He should have been dead by now considering how he'd been diagnosed with progeria. But all symptoms of it had disappeared around high school as well.

It worried her a little.

Both she and Kuroko knew that the one who had hired them was little more than a girl. Her voice had been pitched too high and her stature was too short to be any older than they themselves were. In all likelihood, she was probably even younger than they were. Her voice had sounded rough, like her vocal cords had been damaged; it retained vestiges of clarity and sweetness, but that was forever gone. And that girl wanted information on this person? This…freak? He had definitely been involved in horrific happenings and incredible danger, and she wanted to join him in it?

Saten-san was sleeping at the bottom of the bunk bed they shared, completely used to the light from the laptop screen. It was no wonder, considering how Uiharu had to stay up every other day for Judgment work. What would she do?

She pictured her friend fiercely protecting the child she had picked up during the robbery incident. Saten-san would no doubt take matters into her own hands and begin investigating their employer as well. And if there was even a hint of danger, she'd bring out the baseball bat.

All of her friends seemed to follow that exact course of action, although the baseball bat would be replaced by something else entirely. They really were alike.

She closed the laptop and went to sleep, waking up early the next morning to get to the 177th branch headquarters. The light turned on as she entered. There was no one else here this early.

She continued amassing more and more information on Nishijou Takumi, tracking him up to the present-day. He worked under an assumed name: Iwasaki Mikuni. And his place of work was…Zassou Academy? He was a teacher? _Here_?

She checked on his file in the Academy City records. Unlike the other documents concerning his life, there was nothing particularly shocking here. He appeared to be a standard teacher, better than average with confirmed results, but nothing out of the ordinary.

She sighed. This was strange. And since this was Academy City, strange meant danger.

She called Kuroko. They needed to figure something out.


End file.
